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Faith & Freedom: Building Blocks of a Nation

Can you recall the very first resolution passed by the very first Continental Congress in September of 1774?

I’ll give you a hint- they agreed to meet with their preeminent adviser and counselor in a few brief moments of sincere reflection and heartfelt supplication.

They resolved to pray.

“Tuesday, September 6, 1774- Resolved, that the Rev. Mr. Duche be desired to open Congress to-morrow morning with prayer, at Carpenter’s Hall, at nine o’clock.

“Wednesday, September 7, 1774, A.M.- Agreeable to the resolve of yesterday, the meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Duche.”

Of course, this is one of many, many instances in our nation’s founding in which we find God not only recognized, but sought out at all levels of governmental leadership. After all, these upstarts had decided to wage war against arguably the world’s most powerful empire; no easy task. Not that our prayers need only come when times are dire, of course; this example is meant to simply point out that of all the things the colonists could have done to jump-start this most audacious a venture. . . they chose not to elevate themselves, but rather to get down on both knees.

Fast forward 238 years. We may get around in snazzier rides, live in bigger homes, and feel as though we’ve got it all figured out, but we’re there again – we’re at that bend-a-knee moment. We’re in more debt as a nation than anyone’s wildest dreams (do you KNOW how much a TRILLION even is, let alone 16.5??), and there are more Americans unemployed today than the entire population of the colonies in 1776! For those who are interested, by the way, here’s a rundown:

A million seconds ago it was 12 days ago, or June 16th.
A billion seconds it was 1981.
A trillion seconds it would have been 29,676 B.C.

Now consider the national debt, which sits at nearly 16.5 trillion. It’s hard to wrap one’s mind around such figures.

Just food for thought.

One group that has been trying to bring attention back to the principles that made us great; that is, respect for life, liberty, and the pursuit (pursuit, readers. . .not guarantee!) of happiness as natural rights endowed by our Creator, is the Faith & Freedom Coalition. Just a few short days ago, the Faith & Freedom Coalition held its annual Conference and Strategy Briefing in Washington D.C. where we heard from the likes of such conservative heroes as Marco Rubio, Glenn Beck, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, and many, many others. The goal of the Faith & Freedom Coalition is unique- it does not simply recognize that lower taxes and a smaller, less intrusive federal government have always historically proven to produce a freer society, but also recognize that the sanctity of life, emphasis on the family and on the importance faith are the bedrock of our society.

Life is the very first part of that timeless description of our inherent rights as found in our Declaration- yet so often our society sees this right as subjective to another person’s life and needs. Naturally I’m speaking of the decision to end a life in the womb. Abortion is a blog post in and of itself, but suffice to say since when do we have the right to end the right to life of another? Of course, we do not

The smallest unit in society, the family, is where it all begins. It is, after all, the original model for government. Without general stability in this unit, how can one expect the rest of society to function?

Finally, faith- as I pointed out a moment ago, our Founders turned to nothing less than the very Creator of their inherent rights, recognizing that without Him in the mix, their efforts would be futile. For those who may doubt this, consider once again the enormity of the task the colonists took upon themselves when they declared themselves to be free of the British Empire. The British Empire, ladies and gentleman, not a neighboring tribe, or neighboring colony. The British Empire.

The conference was filled from morning to evening with the sage advice and counsel of men and women far more learned than myself, and I took note of a few of their gems to share with you. Some are serious; some are humorous- but overall the theme is clear: we’re far from that day in 1774, and far from the plans originally laid out therein:

“Progressives claim that the government would become ‘god;’ their philosophy empowers them to play god; to create a heaven on earth. The problem is- the perfect society is reserved for the next life, not this one! We are built from the crooked temper of humanity that the state cannot straighten out.” – Jonah Goldberg, The National Review

“Christianity (Judeo-Christian principles) is the bedrock of American history. Now, a secular revolution that began decades ago is gaining unprecedented momentum. . . this war on God is a war against all Americans, not because of whom it targets, but because of who is doing the targeting. . . they are the Media. Targeting faith is nothing more than targeting democracy. The freedom of the press has become nothing more than the POWER of the press” -S.E. Cupp, GBTV Host and conservative commentator

“A civilization cannot long endure that does not respect life from the unborn, to the last breath of life. If we do not defend the right to life, everything else becomes very superficial.” – Senator Rand Paul

“Politicians are more concerned with their next election than the next generation. More government is not the solution; more freedom is the solution. The American people, not Washington, will lead us to economic recovery.” -Former Puerto Rican Governor Luis Fortuno (First Republican governor in Puerto Rico in 60 years; inherited the largest deficit [40% of revenues] in the entire country, and reduced it to just 3% after major tax cuts and spending cuts.)

“This president would rather bow to foreign leaders than stand up for our country!” – RNC Chair Reince Priebus

“”Barack Obama ran last time on ‘Yes We Can;’ this time he’s running on ‘Why We Couldn’t!'” -former Speaker of the House and former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich

“D.C. has launched an investigation of me, instead of investigating the election system!” – James O’Keefe, Project Veritas, regarding the impersonation of Eric Holder at a polling station.

“Don’t just be against something, be FOR something! Be FOR freedom!” – Glenn Beck, GBTV & Mercury One

“We are fast becoming a nation in which earning money doesn’t entitle you to it, but wanting it does.” Ken Blackwell, contributing editor, Townhall.com; Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment at the Family Research Council

“You have the right not to have your vote canceled out by someone voting illegally!” -John Fund, senior editor, The American Spectator

“Despite our challenges and issues and crisis, America is BEAUTIFUL and we’re STILL the greatest country in the world!” -Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, and former presidential candidate.

“The challenge in America today will not be found in passing legislation or winning elections, but rather to re-commit to our nation’s founding era principles of faith & freedom.” – Senator Mike Lee

“This president has led us down a road that leads to mediocrity, bankruptcy, and hopelessness.” – Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has lead the lawsuit effort against Obamacare.

“Anchors are what keep us from the vicissitudes of stormy seas in this country. Anchors such as our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, which defines our rights as having come from a CREATOR. . . We are stronger when we are lashed firmly to such anchors . . . as commitment to family, and principles economic and political freedom.” – Presumptive GOP Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney

“Tomorrow is supposed to be a celebration of fatherhood. Instead, it is an institution on life support in this country. We will never have limited government with the family continuing to disintegrate.” – Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate.

“I do not expect my president to be a saint, but I expect him to be a moral person. . . a good example for my children, and unapologetic about God in our country.” -Judge Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. Attorney General

“There are values at the core of who we are as Americans that transcend demographic groups- certainly faith, family and freedom. . .Latinos and non Latinos alike will stand together and say ‘I will protect my family, my faith, and my freedom.”- Dr. Carlos Campo, President of Regent College

“If we want to win battles about pro-life, we need to get the Latino vote. If we want to win pro-life legislation, if we want to keep the traditional definition of marriage, if we want conservative legislation to pass, then we need to win the Latino population. We need them to vote their conservative values.” – Adryana Boyne, National Director of VOCES Action

“Marriage is the irreplaceable bedrock of a good and stable society. Stable marriages cause economic growth, because healthy marriages produce security, and motivation for economic achievement.” – Tony Perkins, CEO of the Family Research Council

Clearly, I’m missing several wonderful speakers here, as there were so many. But look beyond that for a moment and notice the central theme of the conference’s speakers: freedom, family, morality, sanctity of life . . .

We became great because we were the first societal venture on planet Earth to recognize that our inherent, natural rights come not from mankind or mankind’s establishments, but from God. The Faith & Freedom Coalition’s conference’s speakers and break-out sessions were meant to emphasize this fact and equip its members with the tools needed to share this message with citizens all around them; to educate voters before they head to the polls to choose our next leaders. The talent evident not only in the speakers but in the attendees at this convention convinces me that, just as Penny Nancy of Concerned Women for America made clear in her speech, “All the gifts God has equipped you with are for such time as this.”

Have you ever seen a country like ours? They do not come often in history. It would seem that the history of a nation that has been so successful merits more than a passing glance, yet politicians and pundits spend their days brainstorming about how to “fix” America while paying no attention to (or consciously ignoring) the cornerstones that allowed for such a free nation to exist in a world filled with violence, totalitarianism, and rigidity. As we stand on the precipice of such economic and societal uncertainty, do you really want to tell God he’s “had his time” in this country?